The Snow Leopard

The survival of the snow leopard in the Himalaya is a sure-fire indication of how the conservation programs of all endangered species are faring in the Himalaya. With as few as 4,500 snow leopards left in the world, protecting these magnificent cats is critical.

And to get an idea as to how the snow leopard is coping, there is no better place than Ladakh in the Indian Himalaya—a region often cited as the Snow Leopard capital of the world.

When Peter Matthiessen wrote recounting his legendary journey to Dolpo in northern Nepal in 1973, he created a myth that